New roles for senior Yorkshire partners

Saffery has made two key promotions in its senior leadership team in Yorkshire, with Sally Appleton becoming head of the Leeds office after taking over from Jonathan Davis who is now heading up the wider northern region.

Jonathan joined Saffery in 2012 and has led the Yorkshire team for the past six years. In his new role, he will oversee the running of Saffery’s offices in Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh and Inverness. He will continue to focus on his market presence in Yorkshire and his client portfolio which consists of owner-managed businesses, entrepreneurs, mid to large corporates and academies across the region.

This year Sally celebrates her twentieth anniversary at Saffery, and she now heads up the Yorkshire office at Wellington Place in Leeds city centre, which currently has an 84-strong team, including five experienced partners leading on every client relationship. She is now responsible for managing all the office’s operations and overall client service, as well as a focus on recruitment, employee wellbeing and ensuring the office is aligned with Saffery’s national strategy.

Sally will continue to oversee her existing client work which includes multi-generational businesses across Yorkshire as well as charitable organisations, including independent schools and academies.

Sally, who grew up in West Yorkshire and becomes Saffery’s first female head of the Yorkshire office, said: “This opportunity is a genuine honour and it’s great to continue working alongside Jon, who will still be based locally in our Leeds office.

“It also comes just a few months after I was elected on to Saffery’s partnership committee which provides a governance and oversight function of the management board, on behalf of all Saffery’s 90 partners. It is an exciting time for the firm and I’m really looking forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

Jonathan added: “Sally is a hugely respected member of the Saffery team, both in Yorkshire and across the wider firm, with both her clients and colleagues alike. She’s forward thinking, pragmatic and brilliant at problem solving, so she’s undoubtedly the right person to lead the Yorkshire office and I’m looking forward to supporting her in her new role.

“I’m stepping into my new role at a time when Saffery is in a very strong position in the north of England and Scotland. Both Leeds and Edinburgh have recently relocated into flagship new offices, at Wellington Place and Haymarket Square respectively, and when this is combined with the expertise and established client bases in Manchester and Inverness, it’s a superb area to head up with a highly knowledgeable and dedicated team of more than 350 people.

“We know our offering appeals to all types of businesses that want to work with an independent firm, that’s boutique in style, but with a vastly experienced national and international support network behind it when required. This puts us in a solid position to continue serving and adding value to our existing clients, taking on new clients across all industries and sectors, and attracting and retaining the most talented people, in what remains a people focussed business.”

Established services that Saffery offers from its Leeds office include audit and accounting, corporate tax, VAT, business advisory and personal tax. Saffery also has dedicated sector experts spanning owner-managed businesses and entrepreneurs, private wealth and family trusts, agricultural and rural businesses, and charities and not-for-profit organisations.